With 100% English Ancestry, I thought it might be really difficult to trace my ancestors back in England from Canada. Only my mother, her father and his mother were born in Canada. This Blog will talk about researching my English ancestors from Canada but also the ancestors of our son in law whose families stretch back far into Colonial French Canada. My one name study of Blake and of Pincombe also dominate my blog these days.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

This next set of wills is a hunt for information on my Buller family of St Olave Southwark. They lived there in the late 1700s and early 1800s. They may have lived there in the earlier part of the 1700s and that is what I am trying to determine. I have almost seventy different wills so this will be a lengthy process to transcribe all of them. Some are very short but some are rather long and I am quite sure not my line but listening to advice from other researchers at the Guild I shouldn't bypass them especially if they had a lot of sons. This will likely take me a couple of months to work through but once done it will be my biggest and probably last effort to look at the Buller family and I shall move back to concentrating on my one name studies Blake and Pincombe. Perhaps one day someone will take up a one name study of the Buller family :) . I am always hopeful of that.

I still have wills for a number of my other family lines but not nearly these numbers fortunately as my interest is starting to wane in these other lines leaving others to pick up the torch for them. I have taken them back as far as I can in a reasonable search pattern and my interests have changed in the last couple of years tending to put my genealogical research efforts into my one name studies. There are roughly another 100 wills to transcribe for these various lines and I will continue to work through them once Buller is accomplished!

For ease of effort I will begin with Cornwall which is also the traditional home of the Buller family (along with Somerset). The first will is for Sir Edward Buller Baronet and was probated 23 Jul 1824. His will just happened to be the first one that I imaged and alphabetically the first in the files under Cornwall.

According to this article the house was possibly early 17th century and has been owned by the Hewis, Colshulls, Arundells, Whittingtons, Treise and in 1806 was sold to Admiral Sir Edward Buller and later owned by the Peel family.

1 The last Will and Testament of vice adml Sir E Buller
2 B[arone]t which I will and bequeath as follows after my funeral and all my just debts are
3 paid to my beloved wife Gertrude I give and bequeath all my Lands and Tenaments
4 Mortgages plate books money and property of every description excepting what I have
5 recently settled on my beloved daughter Anna Maria on her marriage the same to be
6 enjoyed by my said wife Gertrude Buller during her natural life without let or hindrance
7 from any and I further bequeath to my said wife Gertrude for her life the interest of all my
8 money in India and all of my Goods Chattels Linen and Jewels and furniture that
9 I may now have or that I may hereafter have for her own and sole use for her life
10 excepting only the furniture in Trenant house which I will to go with the Estate In the
11 event of the demise of my daughter Anna Maria Buller Elphinstone during my life
12 by which the said Estate of Trenant reverts to me. I in that case will and bequeath the said
13 Trenant Estate to my estimable Son in Law James Drummond Buller Elphinstone and to
14 his heirs and assigns for ever in lieu of the five hundred pounds per annum specified in his
15 marriage Settlements if he approves thereof and provided nevertheless he pays the Sum
16 of Ten thousand pounds to my Wife Gertrude Buller and her heirs and assigns in lieu of
17 dower I also bequeath the furniture in Trenant house to the said James Drummond Buller
18 Elphinstone in the event of the demise of my said daughter Anna Maria Buller
19 Elphinstone in my lifetime and in that case all the residue of my property of every description
20 I will and bequeath to my wife and her heirs and assigns for Ever but she my beloved
21 daughter Anna Maria Buller Elphinstone survive me Then I will and bequeath to her
22 and her heirs and assigns for ever all my Real and personal Estates that I now have or
23 that hereafter may belong to me of every description after the demise of my wife excepting
24 the before mentioned Goods Chattels Linen Jewels etc to my said wife which I have
25 bequeathed to her for ever excepting the Sum of Eight thousand pounds part of my property
26 now in the Company's Treasury in India which on the demise of my said wife Gertrude
27 I will and bequeath to my daughter Anna Maria Buller Elphinstone for her owne
28 sole use for ever. My personal property now stands charged with a pension of one hundred
29 pounds per annum to Mrs Eliz: Catherine Bluntiell for her natural life also to my aged
30 female Mary Barn a pension of nineteen pounds thirteen shillings and four pence
31 for her natural life I have several pensioners in India to whom I wish my agents
32 Mess[ieur]s Alexander to pay two years Salary from the day of my death and for which to
33 obtain a receipt in full from them in lieu of any further pensions whatever and as I
34 have lately paid a considerable debt of John Allans and have been at great expence
35 in respect to him and have provided him with a situation I do not conceive it necessary
36 to give him any further allowance but as his Sister Ann Allan has now the Sum of
37 Eight hundred pounds standing in the joint names of John Gorst Scott Esquire and my own in
38 the 3 1/2 p[e]r c[en]t I charge my personal Estate with making the same up to a clear Sixty
39 pounds a year so long as she remains single and in the case of her marrying to give
40 her the Sum of one hundred pounds in lieu of any augmentation to the before
41 mentioned Sum of eight hundred pounds 3 1/2 p[e]r c[en]t my personal Estate is also chargeable
42 with the Sum of one thousand pounds due to my Brother Henry's son Henry George
43 Buller which I wish my wife Gertrude who I hereby appoint with my friends
44 Davies Gilbert and W[illia]m Howe Mulcaster and George James Hamilton Esq[uie]rs my
45 Executrix and Executors to this my last Will and Testament in the presence of at Trenant
46 house Park in the parish of Duloe in the County of Cornwall and where no Stamps
47 are to be procured this 25 March 1824 Ed: Buller (seal) Witnesses: James Rook
48 Footman to Sir Edward Buller Geo: Hunkins Groom of Col: J.D. Elphinstone
49 John Wynhall Carpenter East Looe Cornwall
50 Proved at London 23rd July 1824 before the Judge by the oath of dame
51 Gertrude Buller widow the Relict one of the Executors to whom admon was
52 granted being first sworn (by Com[missi]on) duly to administer. David Gilbert William
53 Howe Mulcaster and George James Hamilton Esq[uie]rs the other Executors having
54 renounced.